Rainbow skink
Encyclopedia
The Delicate Skink, Dark-flecked Garden Sun Skink or Garden Skink (Lampropholis delicata) is a skink
of the subfamily Lygosominae
, originally from Eastern Australia
. In its native range and in New Zealand it is also known as the Rainbow Skink, which elsewhere usually refers to the Africa
n Trachylepis margaritifera
, also a member of the Lygosominae.
It was accidentally introduced to New Zealand in the early 1960s, where it is the only introduced reptile to have successfully established a wild population. It is found in several parts of the North Island, and occupies similar habitats to the native copper skink (Cyclodina aenea).
It has also become naturalised in Hawaii, where it is reportedly now the most numerous skink, and on Lord Howe Island.
The delicate skink is more common in suburban gardens than in adjacent native bushland. It has a moderate body with a medium length, slender tail. Its scales are smooth. The back and sides are greyish-brown to rich brown, often with darker and paler flecks. A narrow yellowish-brown stripe is usually present on the outer edge of the back.
Skink
Skinks are lizards belonging to the family Scincidae. Together with several other lizard families, including Lacertidae , they comprise the superfamily or infraorder Scincomorpha...
of the subfamily Lygosominae
Lygosominae
Lygosominae is the largest subfamily of skinks in the family Scincidae. The subfamily can be divided into a number of genus-groups. If the rarely used taxonomic rank of infrafamily is employed, the genus-groups would be designated as such, but such a move would require a formal description...
, originally from Eastern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. In its native range and in New Zealand it is also known as the Rainbow Skink, which elsewhere usually refers to the Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n Trachylepis margaritifera
Trachylepis margaritifera
The Rainbow Mabuya or Rainbow Skink is a species of Afro-Malagasy mabuya or skink in the subfamily Lygosominae...
, also a member of the Lygosominae.
It was accidentally introduced to New Zealand in the early 1960s, where it is the only introduced reptile to have successfully established a wild population. It is found in several parts of the North Island, and occupies similar habitats to the native copper skink (Cyclodina aenea).
It has also become naturalised in Hawaii, where it is reportedly now the most numerous skink, and on Lord Howe Island.
The delicate skink is more common in suburban gardens than in adjacent native bushland. It has a moderate body with a medium length, slender tail. Its scales are smooth. The back and sides are greyish-brown to rich brown, often with darker and paler flecks. A narrow yellowish-brown stripe is usually present on the outer edge of the back.